My Top Ten Reads of 2024

2024 was an outstanding year for reading! Out of the 67 books I read and reviewed, 42 of them (63%) were 4 or 5 star reads. Only 3 books (4%) received a 2 star rating from me. One third of the books were 3 star reads. In looking back over the quarterly lists, I highly recommended ten books:

Do You Pray? by J. C. Ryle - Christian Nonfiction

Loving Him Well by Gary Thomas - Christian Nonfiction

A Lifelong Love by Gary Thomas - Christian Nonfiction

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner - Historical Fiction

If I Were You by Lynn Austin - Historical Fiction

Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan - Middle Grade Historical Fiction

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Fiction Classic

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - Fiction

Catching Foxes by John Henderson - Christian Nonfiction

Waiting Isn't a Waste by Mark Vroegop - Christian Nonfiction

I would like to give an honorable mention to the following five books:

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - Historical Fiction

Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham - Humorous Christian Romance

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold - Christian Fiction

Hope is the First Dose by Dr. W. Lee Warren - Christian Nonfiction

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Humorous Romance

2024 - Fourth Quarter Review

To assist my blog readers, I summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, genre, the page count, and a grading scale (💖5 thumbs up - highly recommend, 4 thumbs up - enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - good, 2 thumbs up - meh, and 1 thumb down - regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I read the following books during the fourth quarter of 2024 (links to full reviews can be found in the side-bar, or after 2024, found through the search bar at the right):

💖Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage by John Henderson - A pre-marital workbook with value to all pre-married and married couples. Nonfiction - Christian Living. 296 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh - Two women embark upon a road trip that challenges their life decisions and solidifies an unlikely friendship. Christian Fiction. 370 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeeles - Book 1 in the Heaven's Cove series features Rosie Merchant's return to her childhood home after the death of her mother. She once fled the small Devon village; she now longs to retain her home and her memories. Women's Fiction. 330 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis - This YA book outlines a teen athlete's descent into opioid addiction after an injury. Hit very close to home, but it is such an important topic for young people. Young Adult. 448 pages, 👍👍👍-1/2

The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell by Shana Novak - 100 vignettes about treasured items with sentimental value. Great photos. Fun stories. Nonfiction, 256 pages, 👍👍👍

Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis - Yet another McGinnis teen read about a girl lost in the Smoky Mountains. A riveting survival story. Young Adult. 240 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons - Widowed bookstore owner, Gertie Bingham, takes in a headstrong German Jewish girl and discovers the power of books and found family. Historical Fiction. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Two opposites, with a harsh shared past, attract in this very funny and romantic story. Instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Romantic Comedy. 544 pages (I listened in audio form, CDs, 11-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍-1/2

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox - Sarah Ashby just wants to return home to help her grandmother save the family store. Yet, her mother is determined to keep her from settling for life in a small town. Christian Fiction. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 10-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍👍

A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles - Lettie Starcross arrives in Heaven's Cove with a key and a letter and a desperate desire to unravel their mysteries. Book 2 in the Heaven's Cove series. Women's Fiction. 314 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

💖Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop - An exploration on biblical themes of waiting including why it is important, what it teaches, and how to do it well. Christian Living. 152 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 3 hours, and then skimmed the Hoopla e-book), 👍👍👍👍👍

The Christmas Pact by Meg Easton - Jack (a Christmas Grinch) and Noelle (Christmas personified, but mired in grief) attempt to overcome their hesitations in order to bring Christmas to life for Jack's nephew. Christmas Romance. 218 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 4-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍-1/2

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - In Maine, 1789, mid-wife Martha Ballard documents and attempts to solve a rape and mysterious murder. Thanks to Ballard's literacy, the historical documents of her diary gave way to a fabulous fictional tale from her life. Historical Fiction. 448 pages (I listened in audio form, 12 CDs, 15 hours), 👍👍👍👍

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers - Erin Connolly is relieved to retrieve a favorite novel she accidentally donated to a Little Free Library. She is sure it is her copy because she finds her notes in the margins. Indeed, she finds someone else's notes in the margins and they are addressed to her. A mystery is afoot. Romance. 336 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 9 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway - Claire Frost is infuriated when a stranger accosts her in the London airport accusing her of taking his bag. Who knew, hours later, he'd be accusing her of taking his bed? Or that she'd be stuck dealing with him on a daily basis. Christmas Romance, 302 pages (I listened on Hoopla, 8 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman - 12-year-old CeeCee is sent to live with her great-aunt Tootie in Savannah where she is embraced and comforted by several unique and colorful women. Women's Fiction. 336 pages, 👍👍-1/2

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig - Young women from Smith College travel to France to assist the poor in World War I. Historical Fiction. 544 pages (I listened in audio form, 13 CDs, 16 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Book Review: Band of Sisters

Sometimes a dash into the library nets a fortuitous find. Band of Sisters offers an engaging historical fiction account of true events during WWI. Women alumnae from Smith College head to France to assist villagers and meet needs. As personalities blend and clash, the troop becomes a "band of sisters." Moreover, they miraculously remain intact, despite harrowing work near the front of the fighting.

Billed as "a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network," Band of Sisters follows 18 Smith graduates who seek to help bombed out French villagers. They arrive with good intentions, but face almost constant obstacles. They must put their trucks together by hand, their supplies go astray, and they mistakenly purchase roosters instead of hens. The men working at the front resent their presence. They must live in damp, harsh conditions. Add in natural clashes of personalities and a leadership coup, and you have a motley crew. Yet, they do indeed become a family unit and work together in this threatening terrain to bring good and engender hope.

My favorite part, of course, was the author's note at the end. I loved listening to the author's description of stumbling upon this fascinating historical story and sorting through the primary sources (letters sent home). Lauren Willig demonstrates great skill as she weaves a story of various personalities and perils. I often feel like I'm just not up for yet another war book, but this time around, I was grateful it was front and center on the shelves during my quick run into the library. This was a historical fiction gem!

Book Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman was a book club pick. Unfortunately, I didn't read it in time (setting it aside only 25 pages in). I believe it was also the month of my son's wedding, so I was stressed for time, anyway. When I finally did pick up the book, I took forever to read it. Perhaps it was just not the right time for this book for me. The characters were sweet and interesting, but I just couldn't remain engaged enough. It took me 3 weeks to read it.

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt lives in Ohio with her southern belle mother. Her mother feels trapped in exile away from the south. She fixates on her one moment of fame when she won a 1951 beauty pageant. CeeCee is embarrassed by her mother's crazy behavior, but equally bereft when her mother dies in a tragic accident. She thinks things can't get any worse when her father sends her to live with her great-aunt in Savannah. But, as is so often true in life, the very worst changes can be a saving grace in the end.

The others in my book club encouraged me to read it anyway. It is probably a great read under normal circumstances. I simply don't have normal circumstances these days. I've noticed that almost all the books I've been reading have been audiobooks. They accompany time spent on the treadmill or in the car. Thus, I don't abandon them for days on end. Hopefully my hard copy reading will begin to pick up again.

Mid-month Mention: Amazing Bible Project

Something mind-boggling, outstanding, and inspiring jumped out at me on Facebook the other day. I saw it in the Rabbit Room Chinwag. The poster was trying to acquire more of  the now-defunct buff-color White-Out. I am sharing several photos (taken from FB) because the idea of this Bible transcription project blows me away! I would so love to make this a daily practice in the coming years, but I must think long and hard to determine if I can be dedicated and disciplined enough. In this first photo, Jessica Culver shares her accomplishment and her dilemma:

Many people responded with questions, so Jessica posted a longer explanation of how she went about transcribing the entire Bible in 7 years (12 verses per day):

Here is a photo of the refuse and result of her efforts:

I have already been transcribing 2-4 verses daily with the Homespun Wife Scripture Writing Group. Moreover, I've had the time-investment and discipline of praying 3 times a day for my Facebook friends in my 2023 Prayer Project that carried over into 2024. My handwriting is atrocious! This would tax my wrist and hand more (multiplying the number of verses per day). But I can think of no better replacement for my prayer project. 

There is great blessing in being in the Word. Even greater blessing in hiding God's Word in your heart. I'm not tremendous at verse memorization. I can remember the words, but struggle with identifying the address (location in the Bible). The process of writing it out, reading it aloud, and storing it away should help memorization. I'm convinced the days are coming when every believer will wish they had God's Word tucked deep enough in their minds and hearts to call forth when needed.

I will pray over this for the next few weeks. It would be awful to begin something, only to abandon it when it feels too hard. If this sounds interesting to you, let me know. Perhaps, if I do take on this project, we could help hold each other accountable. Regardless of if anyone else duplicates this amazing Bible project, my heart lifted just in reading Jessica's account. I praise her dedication and her desire to begin again and complete another transcription by her 40th birthday. What a fantastic way to honor God and hide His Word in your heart!

Book Review: Christmas Baggage

Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway was another holiday read to spur me into the holiday mood. I loved being transported to London with the main character. The whole time I was listening on Hoopla, I kept thinking of this Facebook video by Wonders of London, showcasing the Christmas lights in London. Don't have Facebook and can't follow that link? Try this one for Christmas videos on their You Tube page. It would be fabulous to be in London in December! Want to go there but can't travel? This book will transport you into the sights and sounds of London during the holidays.

Poor Claire Frost! Her boyfriend dumped her and, as usual, her parents would rather be on a cruise than spend Christmas with her. Then her best friend begs Claire to accompany her on a visit to relatives in England. She even finds her a discounted airline price. How can Claire say no?

From her first encounter with her friend's cousin, Liam, Claire is as frosty as her name. What a jerk he is! Who cares if he's drop-dead handsome! She couldn't possibly be interested in someone so rude and condescending. Or could she? Especially with that fantastic British accent. Swoon!

As the Amazon page articulates, this book is perfect for clean read romance lovers. It provides a happily ever after and warm Christmas feels in a British setting. It follows the popular enemies-to-friends-to-love-interests pattern. The book transported me to a world of wonder and magic. What better place to fall in love than London? What better time than at Christmas? 

Book Review: The Book Swap

I scrambled to enter when Goodreads offered a giveaway for Tessa Bickers' The Book Swap. Although I did not win, I discovered access to the book through Hoopla (again in audio, as are so many of the books I've consumed recently). What a great story idea. Imagine you accidentally donate your favorite book (well annotated in the margins) to a Little Free Library (Hmm, accidental donations? We're familiar with that!). When you go back, you discover the book is safely there, but filled with further marginalia from a mystery man. Thus, begins a ping-pong of correspondence and intellectual rumination. What a fabulous premise! I'd love to live this out myself, ha!

Erin Connolly is mortified to learn she carelessly donated her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird to her neighborhood Little Free Library. It packs a double punch because the book contained a last message on a postcard from her late best friend Bonnie. That message encouraged Erin to live out her dreams. Erin is far from living her dreams. Trapped in a job she loathes, she cannot stop coping with life by talking with Bonnie whenever she manifests in a chair in Erin's room.

Enter Mystery Man. He responds to her thoughtful marginalia with equally intriguing comments of his own. He invites her to meet up with him in another book that he has left in the Little Free Library for her to find. The correspondence is lively. The attraction is intense. But, of course, complications arise. Desperate to keep someone else from running off with the next book from Mystery Man, Erin hounds down a neighbor and offers to tutor his daughter if he will relinquish the book to her.

Although this was not a clean read, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the story line, and the observations and comments on books I've read. If you love books, especially epistolary novels, this is a sure winner. A love song to books and second chances, the tale makes the reader wish it was them enjoying a neighborly book swap. I've never donated books to a Little Free Library. Believe me, I'm more game now. 

Even though romance is not something I seek, it would be delightful to interact over favorite books. Indeed, I think it would be cool to start up a round-robin book exchange. I'd send a favorite book on to another reader, who would join in comments and pass it along to another reader until the book travelled full circle back. Of course, then we'd have to send it along the chain again so everyone could read the accumulated marginalia. Alas, I'm not one to write in the margins. Nor do I have a set group in mind to take part in this imaginary round-robin book exchange. For me, I'll have to settle for the fun of reading Tessa Bickers' delightful novel.

📒Content Caution: sex and language

Book Review: The Frozen River

Ariel Lawhon is a new author for me. Many have mentioned this book, The Frozen River, on the Historical Fiction Lovers Facebook feed. I'm not interested in this time and setting: Maine in 1789. Give me a Victorian novel and I'm always game, but early American tales don't entice me. Yet, Lawhon's writing is impressive. The story comes alive in the reader's mind.

Martha Ballard is a midwife in Hallowell, Maine. One of the few women skilled in reading and writing, she keeps a diary of her days and her deliveries. Thus, she has evidence to bring forth when two influential men are charged with rape. Hallowell is full of secrets and scandals. Some feel no gratitude for Martha's careful documentation and will seek to thwart her efforts toward justice.

I think my favorite part about this whole book was the author's note at the end. She shares her simple find of a small devotional blurb about Martha Ballard. This led her into extensive research and a story worth telling. Lawhon explains how truth, paired with supposition about how things may have played out, teased out an intense and gratifying tale. I only struggled because my listening to this audio book was disrupted by many days spent away from the story line during our trip to Dallas for my oldest son's wedding.

November 2024 Re-cap

What a month! November felt like forever!

Football is finally over. Is it horrible to say I'm thrilled that we are done with this chapter in our lives? Each of my sons played football. One son suffered a life-changing injury during a football game. Two sons were team captains in their senior years. While my youngest enjoyed many things about playing football, I will say his final season was quite challenging. With six or seven starting players injured, it affected the entire team. Although we were without our star quarterback from last year for much of this season, we were fortunate to have a back-up sophomore quarterback whose father was a professional football player. During the few games where both QBs were in the game, we did very well. Our team won the sectional championship game.

Sadly, during that game, our beloved senior QB suffered injury yet again - this time with a staggering injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, meniscus, and breaking his leg. I'm so sad for him. He was no doubt scouted. Are those dreams shattered now? Sean struggled with injuries throughout the season as well. He injured his knee while playing male volleyball and the injury flared throughout the football season. Every single day he iced and elevated the knee. Then, he rolled his ankle. During the hardest practices and games, he fortified his defenses with ibuprofen. Since the PT only helped briefly and they couldn't identify what was wrong, his coaches were unsympathetic. They expected him to suck it up and play on. And he did. But, boy, am I ever glad the whole thing is over.

At the close of the regional game (tragically lost in the last seconds), Sean noticed his back feeling off. Thus, the following morning, we headed to an urgent care facility for the achy back, a case of pink eye, and a week-long sore throat. They ran tests for strep and mono. "Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" the doctor exclaimed. He tested positive for mono. Wonderful!

In mid-November, I took part in an ornament exchange. The evening promised a festive potluck, and prizes for the "best holiday outfit," "best wrapping," and "most stolen ornament." I'm not zany or creative enough to win the first two categories, but thought I might stand a chance with the final one. The day before the event, I ditched my original purchase when I noticed an ad on Facebook for a store selling a 4 foot inflatable ornament. Sadly, I should have stuck with the first idea (which included a Starbucks gift card). Nobody stole the ornament I opened, thus I didn't get a chance to do any stealing. But watching the game unfold was fun!

I also took the bull by the horns in November and attempted to remedy a long-standing issue. I have been unable to write creatively since things grew hectic with my prodigal in mid-2023. Surely, I could whip out a poem each day for a November Poem-a-Day challenge, right? Well, I went in with the best intentions and did well for a spell. I completed poems for 11 of the 30 prompts. While they were nothing stellar, it was at least progress.

While I might have had minimal progress, my husband suffered loss in November. He set off to run errands, intending to take a donation to Goodwill and drop off a bag of clothes at the dry cleaners. Alas, he gave the bag of good clothes (meant for the dry cleaners) along with the cast-offs to Goodwill and is now out a whole section of his closet. 

November is also the time for author fairs (anticipating Christmas gifting). I attended two, and while my success was meager, it was good to share my story. I passed out several promo cards and met interesting people. The author seated next to me at one fair received many phone calls. He apologized and said he simply ignores the spam because they call constantly. Can such a thing be contagious, like mono? Now my cell phone rings off the hook with these annoying spam calls. One identified as "healthcare" and I worried it concerned Sean, so I answered, unfortunately. Will this problem ever go away? Sadly, I think this problem is going to linger in December. Perhaps December will be even longer than November!

Book Review: The Christmas Pact

I listened to The Christmas Pact in audio form on Hoopla in mid-November. This is the 1st in the 3 book A Mountain Springs Christmas series by Meg Easton. It is a sweet tale of two individuals facing great difficulty appreciating Christmas. Jack Meadows has never liked Christmas. When his sister asks him to make this Christmas special for his nephew, Aiden, Jack hires one of his employees, Noelle, to help with the task. Noelle, who normally loves Christmas, is facing the difficulty of celebrating without her deceased Gran-Gran (a name I struggled with - why couldn't it just have been Gran? Then again, perhaps it was more a difficulty with the narrator's reading style). If you are seeking a wholesome, quick Christmas tale, this book fills that need.

Compilation: A Baker's Dozen Health and Nutrition Books

As we approach the Christmas gift season, I wanted to provide a compilation of outstanding daily devotionals. It is a great time to give the gift of a devotional that covers every day of the year. Alas, I can only recommend two, despite owning and working through many more. It came down to Paul David Tripp's New Morning Mercies and Bob Hostetler's The Shakespeare Devotional. Since 2 books hardly made a compilation, I shifted gears and chose to highlight health and nutrition books.

One would think I'm a fit and thin individual, given the number of nutrition and health books I read. One would be sadly mistaken. I love to read about this subject. Implementing what I read is something of a struggle. Again, though, it is that time of year when gifting reflects best intentions for resolutions. Or perhaps, like me, you just enjoy reading books about getting healthy (sometimes more than actually getting healthy). I cannot say these are the best books on the subject, only that they are ones I have reviewed (although I didn't take much time compiling this list and didn't go back further than a few years except for ones I remembered well enough to call forth again). I have marked the most memorable and meaningful books with an asterisk (*).

1. Clean Gut by Alejandro Junger MD
2. Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss *
3. It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig
4. The Patient's Playbook by Leslie D. Michelson
5. Brain Maker by David Perlmutter MD *
6. The Aging Brain by Timothy Jennings MD
7. The Clean 20 by Ian K. Smith MD *
8. The End of Alzheimer's by Dale E. Bredesen MD *
9. The Lose Your Belly Diet by Travis Stork MD
10. The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda PhD *
11. The Fast Diet by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer
12. The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan by David Perlmutter MD
13. Intermittent Fasting for Women Over Sixty by Lauren Grant

Happy Thanksgiving, today, and here's to happy, healthy eating in 2025! May I keep off the 19 pounds I lost in 2024, in preparation for my son's wedding. What are your favorite or most impactful health and nutrition books? Do you struggle with implementing what you read when you read in this subject?

Book Review: Waiting Isn't a Waste - Highly Recommend

How thrilling to find another book by Mark Vroegop. Last year, I highly recommended his book on lament, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy. Once again, I felt drawn to his subject; this time, it was because we are waiting for God to break the chains of addiction that bind our son. In Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life, Vroegop unpacks something we'd all rather avoid. There's treasure in learning how to wait well. 

I started this book the morning after a full day of waiting. Knowing our son's wedding would keep us up late, we rejected the early morning direct flight home and took one departing at 8 p.m. After spending the day sitting around in the hotel lobby, they delayed our departure another hour. We headed to the airport anyway and waited again. As we sat near our gate, watching the flight before ours load, we noticed a disturbance on the floor by the doorway. A young girl of about 7 or 8 was pitching a fit. As far as we could tell, her mother was attempting to put her on the plane by herself (a required parental visit?). She was having none of it. After much cajoling and crying, she boarded the plane, holding the hand of another young passenger. Those waiting for that flight and for our flight all held a collective breath. She held up the process for at least a half hour. We were weary and eager to return home, so when we saw the girl break through the entry way yet again, demanding her mother, it stretched our patience. We had visions of our flight cancelled, requiring a night at the airport. The girl eventually returned home with her mother and our flight departed at 9:45 (we didn't arrive home until 1:20 a.m.). It was as if God primed the pump for my reception of this book.

In our pressurized world, waiting feels inconvenient and annoying. Normal sympathies waned as we saw our expectations thwarted by this poor child's plight. Waiting Isn't a Waste is very well-structured. Vroegop encourages the reader with the key message, "Don't waste your waiting!" He breaks the "how" of waiting down into 6 characteristics: honestly: waiting is hard; frequently: waiting is common; thoughtfully: waiting is biblical; patiently: waiting is slow; intentionally: waiting is commanded; and collectively: waiting is relational.

Thanks to reading this book, I feel encouraged to embrace the gaps as opportunities to put my hope in God's timing and rescue. It's hard to live with only enough manna for the day at hand. But, as Vroegop points out, "God designed waiting in the world and in redemption [Christ was 3 days in the tomb] so that he's central, not you or me." Our desire for control often leads to anger, anxiety, or apathy when faced with times of waiting. Vroegop recommends, "Intentionally rehearse what [is] true about God." He suggests making a map of God's faithfulness, actively practicing waiting, and shifting your focus from what you don't know about the future to what you do know about God.

As Vroegop observes, biblical waiting is "active and intentional," "purposeful and productive," and trusting and hopeful. How I need more patience when I wait! I loved the definition given for patience, the Greek word "makrothumia." It is "a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and without complaint or irritation." Perhaps I wasted my waiting on the day after Bryce's wedding, but I don't want to waste the possibly lengthy wait for our prodigal to return to God's desired path for his life. When our future seems uncertain, may I rest in the certainty of God's sovereign hand orchestrating and carrying us through every moment.

Book Review: A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea

Just about a week prior to my oldest son's September wedding, I needed an audio book to fit the remaining treadmill time I had before we departed for Dallas. Having enjoyed Liz Eeles' first book in the Heaven's Cove series, Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea, I selected the second book, A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea. I was grateful for the same narrator, Francesca Waite. I had hoped to write up my review before we left, but with all the stresses of getting ready, that didn't happen. Hopefully, I can call forth the details enough.

Lettie Starcross makes her way to Heaven's Cove with an old key and a letter given to her by her departed great-aunt Iris. Iris Starcross lived in Driftwood House in her youth, but left Heaven's Cove on uneasy terms long ago. Lettie is determined to discover the secret behind the key and the love letter. She faces her own demons as she flees job loss and family burdens in her life in London to seek refuge for a time in Heaven's Cove. She finds a deep sense of community and a refuge of peace.

Once again, the story swept me in. I copied one quote that stood out to me: "People may disappear from your life, but they always leave echoes." Too true! I felt drawn to this seaside community. Heaven's Cove may not be a real place in Devonshire, England, but I'd love to visit a similar little seaside village and pretend I'm walking the streets Lettie traversed. The locale's description made me eager to visit. The characters came to life in my imagination. I would happily seek the third book in this Heaven's Cove series. 

Book Review: The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

Since following Sara Brunsvold on Facebook, I've been gleaning book recommendations. Amanda Cox is an author Sara (or one of her followers) recommended, so I sought The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. This was a Book of the Year in the 2022 Christy awards. In it, Cox explores mother-daughter relationships, loss, the power of secrets, and the important freedom found in the truth. My treadmill time slipped away, absorbed into the life and environs of this small town Tennessee grocery store.

Recently widowed, Sarah Ashby seeks refuge in her hometown and wants nothing more than to work alongside her mother and grandmother in the Old Depot Grocery Store. Sadly, her mother, Rosemary, is determined to sell the store. She doesn't want her daughter following in her footsteps. Conflicts between grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter bring to light the secrets of the past and the long-falling ripples cast by those secrets. Can they redeem the brokenness of the past? Are they doomed to bear the burden of guilt and isolation that secrets bring?

I will happily look into further books by Amanda Cox. The characters came to life from off the page and felt like friends. The secrets unburdened brought a release and redemption that I love in stories. This is a well-told tale of second chances, love, and loss. It reveals God's redemptive purpose in our pain, and boy, do I need that message these days! 

Mid-month Mention: Preparing for Advent

 

I'm not a strict Advent observer. Most years, I merely purchased the $1-1.50 chocolate Advent calendars available at Aldi. My boys loved eating their tiny dose of chocolate first thing in the morning, as we counted down the days until Christmas. I know there are families who make a far bigger production of it (reading a book of the Bible as they count down days, opening a new religious picture book each day for the first 2 dozen days of December, reading specific Advent devotionals). This year, I want to invest time each day in prayer, to count down the days until we celebrate Christ's birth.

With only one left at home (and a senior in high school, at that), I don't foresee this being a family activity. Still, I wanted to take time in mid-November to offer some suggestions of things I found online to aid in my approach to this coming Advent season.

1) Free Advent Templates - I discovered a website called Praying in Color. You can find a variety of Advent calendar templates as you contemplate ways to celebrate anticipatory days in December. I already pray daily for Facebook friends as a continuance of my 2023 Facebook Prayer Project. Thus, I may select an Advent-related word to focus on. I've also printed one of the blank block ones off for Sean and Claire to see if they want to come up with a calendar of activities.

2) Specific Daily Prayers - Perhaps I'll choose a specific prayer for each of the 24 preliminary days. The following 5 blogs offer prayers I might use:

• One Prayer a Day blog by Bob Hostetler - This is a blog I have followed sporadically for a long time now. Bob is a great guy, an author friend, and a man of prayer. His daily prayer blog is well worth following even outside of the advent season. (My favorite of his many books is The Bard and the Bible, recently re-released as The Shakespeare Devotional - in case you might be searching for an outstanding daily devotional as we approach a new year. Great Christmas gift idea!) 
• Time With Our Creator blog - Although this blog doesn't seem current (last post in 2023), I appreciated the most recent post with a prayer for casting all our anxieties on the Lord. How thrilling to see a Salvation Army song referenced in the post (Lt. Col. E. H. Joy's "All Your Anxiety"): "Is there a heart o'erbound by sorrow? Is there a life weighed down by care? Come to the cross, each burden bearing; All your anxiety - leave it there. All your anxiety, all your care, Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there, Never a burden He cannot bear, Never a friend like Jesus!" - visit this Hymnary page for the music and lyrics to this beautiful song. What a blessed reminder that I can leave my many current burdens at the feet of our Savior!
• Prayer-coach blog by Kevin Shorter - With a variety of prayer tips and helps, this blog offers several prayer lists that I might use (I may send this list of things to pray for addicted loved ones to my son).
• Prayer and Possibilities blog by Kathryn Shirey - Kathryn provides another idea: writing daily letters to God
• The Daily Prayer blog - This blog, offering a thought and a prayer, has been available as long as my blog (both started in 2008). Daily is a misnomer, as it seems the prayers are over several days, but I think they are beneficial and might be useful in this endeavor.

Book Review: Funny Story

Funny Story, by Emily Henry, was not a clean read! No, indeed it veered into graphic descriptions of activities I would prefer to be left to my imagination with a slow fade. Alas, I listened in audio form. I could not quickly skim through and get beyond, but had to barrel through the sensual scenes (I'd say "intimate," but they were casual and to me, intimacy is hard-won through marital commitment). However, again, these scenes popped up after fully invested, and besides, the story was so delightful otherwise. I can understand why it was an instant New York Times bestseller (and Julia Whelan's narration was outstanding, as always).

Daphne and Peter always introduce their impending marriage by explaining the funny story of their meeting and finding love. Only now, Peter has realized he's actually in love with his best friend, Petra. Daphne had moved her entire existence to Peter's Michigan town to be with him and now she is alone, without genuine friends, and seeking a replacement for the one good thing about her life, her beloved job as a children's librarian. Also, she must find a new place to live on the spur of a tragic and traumatic moment.

After Daphne moves in with Miles, Petra's similarly rejected fiancé, she receives a wedding invitation to Peter and Petra's wedding. Why not prove she is not as devastated and lonely as Peter believes? Why not rub in his face that she could move on quickly? Thus, she spins a new funny story. She will attend with her new boyfriend, Miles. Can they keep up the pretense? Is it really a pretense? What does Daphne truly need and will she find it in this sweet Michigan town?

This was entrancing! There were several laugh-out-loud lines! Moreover, I loved the characters. Daphne struggles with inevitable trust issues from a father who was never there for her. Certainly being dumped by your fiancé intensifies trust issues all the more! But Miles is so likeable. He is sweet, endearing, and the kind of guy that everyone falls for. Then again, we're all reeling from the emotional baggage of life.

I have my own funny story... about this book. I didn't begin listening as soon as I received it from the library. It came due before I finished. No worries. I'd seen it available on Hoopla. Alas, only on the neighboring town's catalog. Thus, I had to wait until the audio version came available again (3 weeks). At the checkout, the woman next to me was checking out the hard-cover copy of... Funny Story. (I had also noticed a woman on a recent plane trip reading this same book.) Funny! Delightful! Well-earned reputation.

📒 Content caution: sex, drug use, language

Book Review: The Air Raid Book Club

I thank my library and Hoopla for providing me with endless options of audio books to listen to while I walk on my treadmill. The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons offered another dip into WWII and the lives of British and German characters. This book adheres to current societal agendas that view God's dictates for what is good for man as too limiting and restrictive. Yet, I could enjoy this tale for the redeeming qualities of love and self-sacrifice. Indeed, I admire the main character, Gertie, for her willingness to take in a German Jewish child and I affirm the life-changing rewards we receive when we place the needs of another above our own. So, despite unwholesome content (always comes when fully invested in the book, i.e., later), I still enjoyed the story and found something to gain from this tale.

Life isn't the same for bookstore owner Gertie Bingham ever since her husband Harry died. Her enthusiasm for what brought her joy has dampened. Then, war breaks out and she answers the call to provide a home for a German Jewish child. Hedy is a typical sensitive teenage girl. Gertie must rise to the role of parent, an unfamiliar role that brings untold joy. The Blitz threatens their lives, but solidifies their love for one another. This was a fresh story of the way books and community soften the harsh realities of life and provide an anchor in a storm. I may still give Annie Lyons' other popular title, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, a go.

📒 Content Caution

Book Review: Be Not Far From Me

Be Not Far from Me is the second Mindy McGinnis book I've read. I was as swept up in the story this time as I was in her previous book. She has an impressive skill for sucking a reader in and making them want further details to know how things will turn out for the characters. This is not a Christian YA book, yet the title comes from a passage in Psalm 22. It was fitting and is my prayer in my life as well. The inside cover blurb says: "Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a compelling and harrowing story about survival and one girl's attempt to endure the impossible." This book, about being up against great odds, was riveting!

Ashley Hawkins is partying in the Smokies with her friends when she comes upon her boyfriend in a compromising position with another girl. Drunk and delirious with rage, she flees the scene and ends up falling into a ravine and injuring her foot. Now she is miles from help (as if she were a person who would accept the help of others, ha), and wandering alone in the threatening woods. She must endure countless challenges (at one point, she wakes to find an opossum chewing on her diseased foot - yikes) in order to survive. Her best hope, she believes, is to channel the wisdom she learned from her mentor, Davey. But Davey went into the woods and never came out. This isn't a comforting thought in her precarious situation.

I am impressed by this author's ability to secure and hold the reader fast. Her writing makes you forget that there is a puppet-master manipulating the strings of the dance before you. You become so deeply involved that you forget there is a writer at all (a mark of a good one). While I winced at some scenes, I never looked away. Ashley's voice of narration is unique. She is quite a character and her strength, while it sometimes gets her in trouble, carries her through tremendous obstacles. This was an entertaining and educational read. Still, I hope I never find myself in the woods, reaching back in my mind to pull forth the wisdom Ashley exhibits.

Compilation: Twenty Outstanding History Books

I have a master's degree in history. My favorite focus is Victorian British history, but I also have studied some American history. When I began to compile this list, I was overwhelmed. I apparently read a lot of non-fiction history books. Thus, I limited this list to outstanding titles, primarily read in the past five years, but a half dozen from further back in my blog. Some of my favorite historical authors include Daniel James Brown, Candice Millard, and Erik Larson. Here are twenty that stand above the rest (and I'm sure I'm leaving out a few because I couldn't take the time to skim all the history reads on this blog):

1. Forty Autumns by Nina Willner - Berlin Wall story
2. The Lost Airman by Seth Meyerowitz - Nazi occupied France
3. A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte - WWI, Lewis & Tolkien
4. The Wager by David Grann - a British shipwreck
5. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore - US history
6. One Summer by Bill Bryson - America 1927
7. The Greater Journey by David McCullough - Americans in Paris
8. Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown - US in WWII
9. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard - Theodore Roosevelt
10. The Library Book by Susan Orlean - LA library fire of 1986
11. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard - US president
12. The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale - Victorian London
13. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson - Winston Churchill in the Blitz
14. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - Jack the Ripper victims
15. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - 1936 Olympic rowing team
16. Dead Wake by Erik Larson - the sinking of the Lusitania
17. Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown - a Minnesota fire of 1894
18. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson - WWII Berlin
19. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - WWII
20. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - advancement of wireless communication

Book Review: The Heirloomist

What a perfect book for a week when I couldn't face anything with depth or difficulty. The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell is full of minor vignettes about items with major sentimental value. The stories were delightful. From a fork gifted for a first date to a Magna-Doodle with a captured message from a deceased father, these stories pull at your heartstrings. I loved the treasured notes from the past and the baby bench almost sold before friends recognized its significant value.

The 81st treasure, especially, stood out to me. It showed a list torn from Life's Little Instruction Book. The list was one the owner lived by and it stood out to his children and friends. I noticed the first item on the list: "Compliment 3 people every day." I read this during a tough week. But, I received a gift from someone following this rule and I can tell you how meaningful it was. I was leaving a medical facility when a woman called out, "Your hair is beautiful." It took me by such surprise, I doubted she was talking to me, but she looked right at me. I said, "Thank you." Then I turned around and added, "That made my day! You can't imagine how much!" 

Senior Night and Belated Anniversary Trip

Our oldest son blessed us with a visit for the weekend of Sean's Senior Night football game. Bryce arrived at midnight on Thursday. Despite my early-to-bed, early-to-rise nature, I'm usually the one who drives to pick him up. I enjoy the time talking with him in the car. He worked remotely on Friday (from the quiet privacy of my book desk in our guest room). A bunch of buddies from his football days invited him to tailgate with them prior to the game.

John and I made our way to the end of the stadium where the parents of seniors lined up. Is it bad to say I'm glad this is my final senior night? Ha!

Bryce sat with us during the game and regaled us with tales of his honeymoon travels (some flight delays and missed reservations - especially one for a cool pool experience near the runway of a NY airport). They had a wonderful time in the Maldives.

After the game, we waited for Sean to exit the field and snagged photos of him with Bryce and him with his girlfriend Claire.

On Saturday, Sean and Bryce drove up to Purdue to view the campus. This was far better than the campus tour I took with Bryce during his senior year. Bryce was able to show Sean all around the engineering buildings and campus hot spots. Sean hopes to attend Purdue for a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Tuesday before Senior Night, John and I finally got away for a brief trip to belatedly celebrate our August anniversary. We hiked in Turkey Run State Park the first day. John wanted to hike Trail #2 (one marked "moderate"), but I convinced him to take Trail #3 because everything on-line says it is the most scenic of the trails. Trail #3 was very rugged, just as the trail marker indicated. Not to mention, it sprinkled with rain twice during our trek, making the rocks slick. Again, following on-line advice, we went counterclockwise. This meant we had to go down (backwards, which felt very perilous) the ladders on the trail. Yikes! Although, it was fun, I ached for 3 days following our hike. (This selfie was taken at the end, when the sun finally dried things up.)

The next day, we spent walking around the Covered Bridge Festival in Rockville, Indiana. We visited some antique shops (with no intent to buy anything, as our goal is to downsize in the near future). Then, we returned to our favorite baked potato station. I also bought an order of corn fritters. It wasn't an extravagant anniversary celebration, by any means, but it was better than our 2020 celebration plans. Ha! 

Book Review: Heroine

Several months ago, I compiled a list of Indiana authors I'd like to meet. When September promised a trip to Ohio, I made a list for Ohio authors, as well. I initially sought authors I was familiar with: Margaret Peterson Haddix, Celeste Ng, Sharon Draper (author of Out of My Mind, a MG novel recently made into a Disney movie), and Thrity Umrigar. But, I looked up a few who lived nearer to my Ohio destination to see if I might want to read a book and seek the author. This is how I stumbled upon Mindy McGinnis' book, Heroine. I sought it despite knowing it might hit too close to home.

Mickey Catalan is an athlete with an injured leg (hmm, familiar). Her doctor prescribes an opioid (hmm, familiar). Thus begins a descent into addiction (hmm, familiar). The story is heart-wrenching but full of truth. McGinnis paints the real deal: the deceptions, the thievery, the justifications, the tolerance build-up, and the dependence. Mickey comes to believe the drug is her only answer. She doesn't see herself as a junkie until the evidence is too plain to ignore.

I appreciated the trigger warning at the outset, very important. What a great idea to open each chapter with an addiction-related term. Mickey's struggle tears at the reader's heart. It is a slippery slope. I'm not sure why some go down it and others are unaffected. I took an opioid after some of my surgeries and never struggled. Unfortunately, my son (like Mickey) was not so lucky.

Sadly, Mindy McGinnis was heading off for a book tour during the dates I was in Ohio. She kindly offered to answer my questions via email anyway. I hope to highlight her author interview in a post early next year. Heroine is an important book for teens to read to increase awareness of the allure of addictive drugs. We need to be more careful in prescribing drugs that ease pain, but in the end bring no end of pain when the afflicted individual leans into addiction. I cannot say whether my son would have spiraled into drug addiction anyway, but I'm sure for many, it is the initial prescription for an athletic injury that leads to this path of bondage and despair. 

Mid-month Mention: Homelessness Resources in Indy

In July, our son's addiction rendered him homeless. As if the fears associated with his drug use were not intense enough, we added anxious concern for his overnight parking. He often selected places in very bad parts of Indianapolis. The drugs might do their damage, but criminals could harm him, too. His homelessness inspired my interest in this month's mid-month mention topic.

Indianapolis is now fighting this battle with a new organization called Safe Park Indy. As of October 1st, they offer 10 safe parking spots in a NE church parking lot for those who submit an application and fulfill the program requirements (these requirements rule out my son). Accepted applicants not only gain a safe location to park in the evenings for two months, but they have access to phone charging, restroom facilities and social services opportunities. This program seems destined to offer a leg up to some who have been crippled by homelessness. Here is a WTHR news story about this Safe Park Indy program.

Another non-profit organization helping meet needs in Indianapolis is Indy Community Pantry. They have refrigerators at 3 Indianapolis locations, open 24 hours a day, stocked with food and resources for both homeless and needy individuals. Headed up by a concerned citizen, DeAndrea Rayner, these pantries offer opportunities to meet the needs of the less fortunate in Indianapolis. You can volunteer to help stock the fridges, you can donate items, or you can offer financial support. If you're in need, you can access food and hygiene items. Here is a WTHR news story about the Indy Community Pantry. 

The final organization provides an intersection of two topics I've bumped against: homelessness and hospice care. My mother was fortunate. She had my father to house and care for her both prior to and in her hospice days. Many are not so blessed. Morning Light, Inc. meets these unique homelessness needs. They provide free housing and round the clock care to those who have a terminal illness while homeless. Their 12-bedroom facility just happens to include my oldest son's name: The Abbie Hunt Bryce Home. They have already served over 900 Hoosiers. Morning Light requires community funding through grants and donations. They also utilize volunteers to help meet the needs of homeless hospice patients. I noticed a Facebook post by Madison Wood and wanted to get the word out about this compassionate non-profit organization. If you have an interest in the widespread homelessness problem, check out these resources and get involved to be part of the solution.

Book Review: Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea

I found Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles on the Hoopla audio app. It is the first book in the Heaven's Cove series. I enjoyed listening to this title and might seek the second in the series, A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea. The book takes place on the Devon coast. It is full of British charm and small town coziness.

Here is the summary from the Amazon page:

"Back in the tiny seaside village of Heaven’s Cove after the death of her mother, all Rosie Merchant wants is to hide her tears, rent out her childhood home, and get back to her ‘real’ life, away from the gossiping villagers and wild Devon weather she escaped from years ago.

She’s surprised to find a smiling man in hiking boots – local farmer Liam – waiting on the stone doorstep. His kind offer to help clear crumbling, isolated Driftwood House is hard to refuse, and despite Rosie’s determination not to let anyone get close, soon they’re walking and laughing together along the clifftops. As clouds scud across the endless sky and green waves crash against the shore, Rosie is reminded that nowhere is more beautiful than home.

Then, up in the attic of Driftwood House, Rosie stumbles across a photo which exposes the heart-stopping truth about how her mother came to live at Driftwood House years ago… and Liam only seems concerned about the implications for his own nearby farm. Did he know this painful secret all along, and should she run from Heaven’s Cove for good? Or will facing up to her devastating family history mean Rosie can finally put down roots in this beautiful place?"

Though characters exhibit a casual attitude toward sex, this was mostly a clean read. There are 7 books in the Heaven's Cove series. I will have to keep an eye out for the ones I can access easily. Who knows? I might get swept in and purchase the rest, as well.